Gifts of Stock

Gifts of Appreciated Securities Benefit You and Public Citizen

Did you know that you can contribute appreciated securities to Public Citizen Foundation and receive certain tax benefits in return for your support?

By transferring appreciated stock or mutual fund shares to Public Citizen Foundation that you have owned for more than one year, you will:

Avoid the capital gains tax on the securities appreciation and

Receive an income tax deduction for the average value of the shares on the day that they are transferred to our brokerage account

For example: You purchased 100 shares of XYZ stock at $10 per share or $1,000 in November of 2003. On August 10 of this year, you transferred these shares to Public Citizen Foundation that had an average price of $15 per share. The income tax deduction you would receive for this gift of $1,000 valued stocks $1,500 and you avoid the capital gains tax on its appreciation.

There are several ways you can transfer securities to Public Citizen Foundation. Please contact Amanda Fleming at 202-588-7734 or via email at afleming@citizen.org to discuss the specifics of your gift.

Your support means a great deal to us and to the future of Public Citizen Foundation. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible.

To become a member of Public Citizen, click here. To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.